Why did that touch her heart so deeply?
When he reached around her from behind to slide his fingers into the lapel of her coat, she sighed, letting him drag the heavy fabric off her shoulders.
“You should rest,” he said, breath stirring her hair to tickle her neck.
She rubbed her hand over the tingling spot. “Yeah, you’re probably?—”
Her phone buzzed insistently from her coat pocket.
“Oh!” She reached in, fishing for it. When she pulled it free, dismay washed over her.
Well? What did he say?
Just a text from her mother. Holding the phone, she realized that she’d completely forgotten to text Logan earlier to check in.
With a sigh, she leaned heavily against the wall. She dismissed the notification from her mother, pulling up her message thread with Logan.
Just checking in. Is everything going okay? Are you getting enough rest?
There was a faint, familiar ping from their bedroom. For a moment, she thought it might be Logan. She crossed the hall expectantly, only to realize that his shoes were still gone and the room was untouched from how she’d left it.
With a sigh, she set about her routine. She wiped her phone, showered, and changed into her at-home clothes before she could allow herself to indulge in the rest she desperately needed.
When she emerged from the steamy bathroom, she was startled by Sam in that chair in the corner of the room, lounging arrogantly. Her stomach flip-flopped at the sight of that chair now, unable to look at it without recalling how Logan had sat there and asked her to let the android have sex with her for his entertainment. Now it was the android sprawling there, watching her from beneath his dark lashes as though he expected a show, as well.
“What are you doing?” she asked, hurling a damp towel at his head. “You scared the hell out of me.”
He caught it in mid-air and pressed his nose to it, breathing deeply. His pupils blew wide, making her heart flutter.
“Stop that,” she snapped.
Obediently, he lowered the towel into his lap. “Get into bed, Ophelia.”
She frowned. “You’re the robot. I’m the one who’s supposed to do the ordering.”
He made a vaguely purring sound. “Do you want to order me around?”
He leaned back in the chair with a creak of wood, his knees spread wide, and the towel obscuring his lap. “Go ahead. What’s my first command?”
Her cheeks heated, and she turned away. “Stop being… slutty.”
He boomed with laughter. “I’m not sure I can comply.”
She huffed at him, rolling her eyes. Just when she was about to rebuke him further, her phone pinged with a message—and it was echoed by another device in the room.
Looking down at the screen, she realized Logan had finally texted her back.
Sorry, baby, I’ve been slammed. It looks like it’s going to be another all-nighter. Are you doing okay? How is the bot behaving? I know he must be underfoot. I’ll take him back soon.
Her heart flip-flopped as she stole a glance at Sam. His face had hardened, and he was scrutinizing her in the unsettling, intense way he often did. The thought of him going back to the lab made her stomach sick. She wasn’t ready for him to leave. In the short time he’d been with her, she’d come to find his presence… comforting.
Maybe she’d been lonely all this time. Terribly, painfully lonely but so numb to it that she’d hardly noticed. It was easy to be with Sam, even with his endless teasing and sexual innuendo. What did it say about her that she finally felt seen by someone, and that someone was a robot?
Pressing her phone to her chest, she tore her gaze away. The chair gave a small protest as he stood up behind her.
“What is it?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just Logan.”
